


A Change of Heart

by Rainontheroof



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Haruno Sakura, F/M, Haruno Sakura is So Done, Haruno Sakura-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, NaruSaku - Freeform, Naruto vs. Sasuke, POV Haruno Sakura, Protective Haruno Sakura, Sakura falling for Naruto, Sakura is done with Sasuke, Sakura protecc Naruto, Sakura vs. Sasuke, Strong Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27639679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainontheroof/pseuds/Rainontheroof
Summary: A rewrite of the chapter following the killing of Danzo by Sasuke in which Sakura goes on a solo mission to attack Sasuke and Naruto goes after her. Only in this case, it’s mainly a battle of Sakura vs. Sasuke. Meanwhile, Sakura reexamines her feelings for both teammates and reflects on her growth.Some narusaku shipping. Nothing crazy.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 36
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Sakura-focused story. It is MY dream to help her character reach her full potential, which she has SO MUCH of. I love this character dearly and I’m forever frustrated by the injustice done to her by the writers early on and the bad rap she has for it. There were many opportunities for growth and a fantastic opportunity for her and naruto’s relationship to grow up more with them. 
> 
> So anyway, this story tries to give Sakura more agency, equality, and self-reflection in a moment in the anime where she was once again made weak. 
> 
> I do try to follow the canon in most other ways. I try to make her believably Sakura in believably the context that the anime set up, but with some important changes taking place. So she does still have her flaws and history and screw ups but she is also transforming in ways I really hoped she would in canon. 
> 
> This actually gets a little anti-Sasuke so beware if you are a Sasuke lover or SasuSaku shipper. Naruto's love for Sasuke remains unchanged, true to his form. 
> 
> I do miss the part where Naruto swoops in and scoops her up, throwing shade at Sasuke, though, so maybe that can somehow be worked in in a future rewrite if that ever happens.
> 
> This is my first fanfic post ever, be gentle with me! ;)

Sakura knew she had fucked up.

“That was literally the worst thing I have ever been through,” Kiba commented, “And I once stayed up all night sick from eating one of your food pills!”

Sakura was too absorbed in her thoughts to even take offense to the barb, though it would normally launch her into a loud, absurdly spirited defense of her cooking. Her cooking was, of course, objectively perfect- she was certain of that much.

“Sakura…” Lee broke in, “I really like you as… as you know, and everything...” He looked unsure, but then remembered himself. “HOWEVER I DO NOT THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT TO NARUTO!” Lee finished the sentence in a battle cry, as was his fashion in ending nearly all sentences.

Sakura stood with her arms crossed, facing one wall of the cabin. Her cloak, now slightly damp from the melting snow, was made of a thick material that bunched around her collar. It hid her frame well with her back turned and thus helped to mask her body language. She felt a desire to rest her forehead against the wood paneling, but resisted since it would too obviously express the weight of guilt she was experiencing.

“Sakura,” Sai began quietly-

“Enough!” She spun around, one arm outstretched, and fist clenched as though she was parrying an attack. “Don’t you think I feel bad enough already?”

“No,” Kiba blurted out immediately.

Sai already lectured her back at the village, whether he meant to or not, as he matter-of-factly explained what should have been obvious, what _was_ obvious to everyone and even Sakura herself deep down if she had ever taken a second to admit it.

He told her that even he, Sai, who normally expressed an emotional range roughly that of a rubber duck, had figured out that Naruto was in love with her and had been chasing Sasuke partly on her behalf. Again and again, Naruto risked his life to bring back their friend, apparently bound by the promise he had made to her when they were children. A promise she had asked of him out of selfishness, weakness, and an ongoing inexplicable infatuation with Sasuke, cultivated since their days at the academy.

Naruto, her friend, her teammate, maybe one day her Hokage, had not factored into her plea at all. She expected him to be her hero and to bring Sasuke home for her like a lost kitten. She expected him to put up with her constant bullying and condescension year after year and to still somehow be the same old Naruto who was always happy to see her, always making her laugh. And he was striving to do it all… never once resenting her or expecting anything in return.

Then what had she done when she acknowledged the truth about Naruto’s feelings for her? She had humiliated them both by cruelly trying to use it to manipulate him into giving up on Sasuke. Her confession of love had rung so hollow everyone around them cringed as she clinically recited her reasons for rejecting her longtime crush in favor of the other teammate. Even the normally inscrutable Kakashi seemed unable to hide his embarrassment.

Naruto was livid. At first, the announcement had taken him aback and she glimpsed various emotions flutter across his face as he processed her words, but he soon picked up on her insincerity and hardened his features. When she tried to pull him into a convincing hug, Naruto turned as rigid and cold as the icy landscape around them. He wasn’t a stupid little boy anymore, and she had insulted and belittled his feelings by pretending that she reciprocated.

What truly bothered her, though, about Naruto and everyone else calling her out, was that she wasn’t entirely sure she was insincere. While it was true she had formed this plan to try to free Naruto of his promise to her, as she spoke the words she realized a lot of her dumb little speech was true. Sasuke had been gone from them for years and was effectively a stranger. He routinely showed disregard for their lives or outright desire to end them...and the wild look in his eyes each time they caught up with him terrified her. Maybe Naruto could still see the old Sasuke in there, but she was beginning to doubt that she shared this ability.

Naruto on the other hand…had grown into an amazing shinobi. He was more powerful now than anyone in the Leaf Village, but still as pure of heart and kind as ever. Sakura took for granted that he was always there to protect, to comfort, to inspire hope when all seemed lost. She honestly could not imagine life without his companionship, or the gigantic smile he always flashed. Not to mention he had matured to be surprisingly handsome. So why was it so hard to believe she had fallen for him?

“Just forget it,” she said evenly but with her eyes still closed. “We need to find Sasuke ourselves now. We need to take him out before Naruto catches up with him.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot of just internal thoughts, but action sequences await beyond this point!

Pretending to include her teammates would be Sakura’s second deceit of the day. “I’m sorry, you guys,” she panted quietly as she ran at a steady clip through the forest in the direction Kiba had pointed her. She knew there would be hell to pay later for knocking them all out with her sleeping gas weapon. In fact, she put them at risk by doing so, but from what she could tell it had to be far less than they would have faced if they had gone on to confront Sasuke with her. 

Too long, others had been doing the dirty work. It always seemed like every time she tried to step up and pull her weight, particularly when it came to battles, someone else stepped in for her. She normally deferred to more proficient fighters and offered backup instead, or treated the wounded, as was her duty as a medical ninja. Too often, she had stood back while Naruto and Sasuke clashed. They had a bond, after all, that was unlike the one she had shared with either of them. She sensed that beyond just wanting to end Sasuke’s mad campaign of revenge and bring him home, Naruto was also trying to prove something to him. In a way, he was still trying to get Sasuke to acknowledge him and the connection they shared. It was as though every time they fought, this connection was being renewed and redefined. Naruto was not letting Sasuke forget him, and by extension the Leaf, the past, or who Sasuke used to be. 

Sakura had respected that, or so she told herself. It had seemed important that Naruto bring Sasuke down alone- moreover, it had always seemed like he was the only one that could. Plus, whenever they were at each other’s throats, Sakura was scared to death for the both of them. And thus she always found herself on the fringe of battle, unable to do much more than look on helplessly. Things were different now, however. Under Tsunade’s mentorship, Sakura had discovered a kunoichi could be much more than second fiddle in a fight. She had never met anyone like Tsunade. As one of the great Sanin, few could match the Hokage’s wealth of skill and power. Her infamous pit-bull-like personality did not exactly soften her reputation either. Tsunade never let anyone talk over her, never let anyone tell her what to do, and she certainly never let anyone stand in front of her in battle. She was everything Sakura never realized it was possible for female ninja to be. 

And the Hokage wasn’t the only inspiration to Sakura, just the first. The hard-won defeat against the puppet-master, Sasori, at the side of Granny Chiyo, deeply affected her as well. It had been one of the most dangerous and thrilling encounters of her career, and in that short time, she gained so much confidence from her successful partnership with the swift and resourceful sand village elder. It was that day, Sakura thought, she had truly fulfilled her responsibility to protect her village and her friends. She felt that she was finally coming into her own as a ninja.

As such, she began to see her position on the so-called Team Seven a little differently as well. Sasuke was unlikely to ever come back peacefully with them, and she knew Naruto would never give up trying. How many more in Sasuke’s path were going to get hurt or killed? Would Naruto end up dead? It wasn’t worth this any longer and it was long past time she helped Naruto shoulder this burden. The only solution now, she had decided, was to kill Sasuke herself, thereby making it impossible for Naruto to keep his insane promise. Maybe he would hate her for it, for murdering his best friend, but it would be enough for her just to keep him safe. 

In the past, the very notion that someone like Sakura could challenge Sasuke would have been laughable, even to her. But not only had she grown in strength and skill through her intense training, in the process she had also discovered something new about herself- something that could change everything about her relationship to Sasuke and Naruto. Since she was still improving, Sakura had yet to employ this newfound ability in the field (knowledge of it had remained a secret, known only to herself, Tsunade, and one other). Today though, she knew she might have no choice.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura neared a break in the trees and slowed to a more cautious pace, descending from the canopies to the forest floor. Having made a direct path towards where Kiba and Akamaru had scented Sasuke, it seemed she might have finally reached her destination. She sensed multiple chakra energies nearby, more than one familiar. This compelled her to move in closer to see or better detect who was around.

This wasn’t the situation she was hoping for, but then again, she did not really know what Sasuke was up to, so she had had no idea what to expect. Sakura imagined finding Sasuke traveling alone but now she realized that assumption was based on nothing more than a hope. As a member of the Akatsuki, of course he might be working with a unit or maybe, on this day, he had come across other enemies. As her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight rushing in at the tree-line, a large clearing became visible. Straight ahead, across a river, stood a broad, sheer cliff. The forest she was exiting also rose steeply on either side of her. She had entered the river canyon at a low point by the mouth of an adjoining stream. She found herself at the foot of a massive stone bridge that had once spanned the width of the river but was now broken into two halves, the middle apparently destroyed as if by explosives. Sasuke stood motionlessly at a center ledge of the bridge, his back facing her, gazing at the other side. Sakura could see no one else around, presently. She decided to wait for now from her hidden location and gauge her surroundings.

A light breeze billowed Sasuke’s cloak and agitated pebbly sand across the stones. What seemed like a long silence passed. _What is he doing?_ Sakura wondered. Then-

“Come on!” Sasuke’s voice rang out suddenly, startling her. “Are you hiding from me?!” Sakura froze and pressed her back up against the pine she had been crouching beside for cover. She was sure she had dampened her chakra sufficiently to avoid detection from this distance, but of course Sasuke had found her out anyway! _Shit_ she thought, _Way to go Sakura. You blew it before you even started._

It still surprised her to hear how much his voice had changed- it was deeper, more self-assured, more menacing… In her memories, he was still just an angsty teenager that scoffed and whined.

She felt little beads of sweat forming on the back of her neck as she steeled herself to emerge onto the beach…but before she could, another voice responded.

“I’m here… _Sasuke!_ ” She looked again and watched as another ninja strode up to the opposing ledge. He stopped, and the two men eyed each other across the expanse, rubble and rapids below them. Naruto was unmistakable in his black and orange jumpsuit and the leaf village headband he always wore in the traditional way, tied securely across his forehead.

The breeze became a gust and all at once shifted direction. It blew the tails of Naruto’s headband out past his forehead, buffeting his jacket and tousling his bright yellow hair. Those blue eyes looked sharp and clear, even from where Sakura was standing, and his face was set in a familiar look of grim determination. Sasuke’s cloak swept backwards, expanding out behind him. This made him appear larger and, somehow, even more malevolent.

_Double shit._


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, this is bad_ , Sakura thought while anxiously peering out at her teammate and former teammate. Naruto was not supposed to be here! He was supposed to be preoccupied with the Kage Summit, begging for Sasuke’s life, or whatever he was planning on doing…how on earth did he find Sasuke before she did? She had to think on her feet now. Naruto and Sasuke were once again at odds, but this time she could not just stay out of it, she had to finish what she came to do.

“Naruto…how irritating it is to see you again. You tracked me down once more to…what? Beg me to go back to Konoha? Subdue me and force me? I think we both know how well that has worked in the past.”

“You’re in danger, Sasuke,” Naruto said lowly. This elicited a laugh from the rogue ninja.

“The kage of the five nations have just concluded their summit and agreed to cooperate in hunting you and the rest of the Akatsuki down. You may be powerful but still… you are in danger.”

“Your concern is pathetic,” Sasuke sounded distracted. He glanced up towards the tops of the cliffs and seemed to be focused on something distant. The deep blackness of his hair and irises looked dark enough to absorb all the sunlight that reached him. One hand rested lightly on the hilt of his katana. “You’re like a lost puppy who doesn’t know when to stop following… even after being kicked...” Sasuke closed his eyes. “I murdered Danzo not long ago,” he murmured abruptly.

Naruto’s expression blanched at the unexpected revelation. “But… what… how…?”

“He was a tough one to kill but ultimately useless Konoha scum like the rest of you. So, you see, I already had an actual challenge today and have no patience for this.” One of Sasuke’s feet slid backwards as though he were about to turn away.

 _He can’t leave! If he gets away, I may not have another chance-_ Sakura’s body tensed in preparation to follow. _I just need an opening,_ she thought, gritting her teeth.

“I understand,” Naruto said, just loud enough to hear. Sasuke stopped.

“What are you talking about…”

“What you are doing is understandable. I know about Itachi now… I know why you have so much hate inside you, but I still think…”

“What do you know about it?!” Sasuke’s temper flared back to life. All the boredom in his voice evaporated and a familiar fury replaced it. “Why can’t you leave well enough alone, Naruto? Why are you so _obsessed_ with me?!”

“Because you’re my friend!” Naruto shouted back. He widened his stance and clenched his fists. “I’m not letting this darkness take you over forever!”

“Weren’t you planning on becoming Hokage? Why not just go back to Konoha? You seem to be doing a terrible job of that.”

“…How can I become Hokage… if I can’t even save one friend?!” Naruto argued, in what had become a refrain for him. Then, lowering his eyes and voice, he continued:

“You said once that when two ninja of exceptional skill fight, they can read each other’s thoughts. If we fight again today…you will know what I know now…that if one of us dies, then we both will. Our fates are inseparable.”

“Naruto,” Sasuke growled, “You are so…fucking…ANNOYING!”

Sasuke detached his cloak and let the wind carry it away from him. He extended his right arm down at his side and with a scree, his Chidori activated. Tongues of lightning-like electrical discharge writhed around his forearm. Naruto signed for a clone, which popped into existence at his side and began shaping a Rasengan in his palm.

Suddenly, before he could engage, something drew the two Narutos’ attention. A pink blur phased in from the trees and in a matter of seconds, Sakura materialized behind Sasuke, kunai raised in preparation to be plunged into his neck.

Maybe it was the subtle change in Naruto’s expression that gave it away, or perhaps Sasuke had sensed her hiding all along. Or maybe his reflexes were just so superhuman that it allowed him to react to her attack, but somehow, Sasuke dodged a hairsbreadth away from her kill strike, caught Sakura’s arm, spun her around in front of him so that she was pinned with her back against his chest. Then, with his free arm, Sasuke took the kunai he had wrested from her mid-motion and raked it across her throat.

Everything happened in mere moments. But the following moments felt slow and syrupy. Sakura dropped to her knees, raised a gloved hand to her neck. She could feel the warm blood saturating the fabric. She was vaguely aware of Naruto yelling, but the sound was muffled by the much louder pounding of blood in her ears. She coughed but could not seem to inhale. Then, she was falling. At some point, she had slipped off the bridge and next anyone knew, she had tumbled into the water below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice that the conversation between Naruto and Sasuke is mostly a paraphrased version of what happened in the anime. I mostly wrote it in to keep a consistent context but if you're thinking, this dialogue sucks, it's not exactly original. In the show I think this convo took maybe more than one episode due to all the flashbacks so I hope you don't mind I just condensed it down here!


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura did not know how long she had blacked out for exactly, maybe only for the fall. She awoke sputtering while being rushed downriver by a vigorous current. The air she gulped stung like needles in her lungs as she struggled to both breathe and cough out the water she had swallowed simultaneously. Spray repeatedly blurred her vision and the roar of approaching rapids obscured all other noise. She was thoroughly disoriented by the time she slammed into the face of a boulder, which knocked her into another tremendous fit of coughing. Luckily, she was swept upwards against the angular rock with so much force, it allowed her to gain purchase on it and haul herself most of the way out of the river.

She lay on her back, gazing upwards. Slowly, her vision cleared, and her breathing slowed. She became aware of activity in front of her… Sasuke and Naruto on the bridge. She had traveled some distance away from them but could see their forms streaking this way and that, dancing around each other almost faster than the eye could track, lights bursting as they clashed and attacked with various jutsu.

“Naruto.”

Allowing herself another throat-clearing hack or two, Sakura raised up on her elbows and reached towards her neck. She saw it all again in her mind’s eye. Sasuke countering her attack and then going in for the kill himself with zero hesitation. _Some friendship ours turned out to be._ Sakura wondered if Sasuke realized she had raised up her hand at that moment and emitted a pulse of pure energy to counter the force of the kunai’s laceration. This had prevented the weapon from cutting deep enough to mortally wound her but even so, the pain and sudden blood loss had caused her to lose sense of her surroundings. Thus, her release from the struggle had sent her toppling right over the broken ledge.

Looking back on it, the whole thing felt strangely embarrassing. _If it weren’t for that dumb ledge right there, I could have recovered myself quick enough!_ she thought with frustration. _And now they possibly both think I’m dead._ Maybe she could use that to her advantage when it came to Sasuke… but she did not know how Naruto might react.

She released a light charge of glowing blue chakra to suture the wound at least well enough to stop further bleeding. She removed her sopping wet gloves, tied her hair back, tightened her headband, and began to look for a path out of the river. There were more boulders like the one she had encountered so violently, thus it was only a matter of bounding from one to the next using the high, extended leaps that ninja rely on so frequently to cover long distances until she reached shore.

Traveling up the bank opposite the one she entered the valley from, Sakura ran and leapt through the brush as fast as her feet would carry her, trying to once again make it to the bridge. She glanced up at Naruto and Sasuke as she went- their battle had not seemed to lessen in intensity. Shock waves from ninjutsu attacks filled the canyon with what sounded like small claps of thunder while smoke from continuously manifesting and collapsing shadow clones clouded the scene.

As she neared the other entrance, a foreign shape caught her attention. Sakura came as close as she dared, then approached at a walk. It was a woman, lying on the ground, crumpled over in a heap. She wore something like a white lab coat, and her hair was an unnatural shade of bright red-orange. Upon realizing that this person was alive, but injured, Sakura forgot her caution and came to her side. Tilting the woman’s shoulder back revealed her face and her stunning eyes, the same pastel color of her hair.

“Who are you?” Sakura asked cautiously.

“Karin,” the woman answered in a weak voice. Sakura’s brow furrowed.

“You’re one of Sasuke’s henchmen, aren’t you?”

Karin made a small sound and gazed down at her stomach where one bloody hand was clasping her torso. Sakura carefully removed her hand to uncover a gaping hole below her sternum. _Good grief, it’s amazing she is even alive._ “Did Sasuke do this to you?” Sakura’s expression softened. She frowned and looked up towards the bridge. _I don’t have much time_ , she thought.

“I’m going to help you,” Sakura said. “I’ll heal you as much as I can to keep you alive. But then I need to help my friend.” She raised both hands to Karin’s injury and began the necessary medical ninjutsu.


	6. Chapter 6

Dust clouds spun clear as Naruto and Sasuke slid apart, each pausing to catch ragged breaths after the latest flurry of attacks. 

“You bastard! You...you?!” Naruto cried out ferociously, his voice tinged with anguish. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He was still clinging to hope Sakura would be okay somehow. 

Initially, Naruto had tried to leap after his falling teammate, but Sasuke attacked and engaged him in battle instead, preventing any chance of rescue.

Sasuke’s chest heaved but he managed a sneer. A small amount of blood trickled from his left Sharingan eye. It only added to his manic appearance.

“I certainly hope so! Sakura always was a fool. But that? She really outdid herself that time.”

Naruto emotions were quickly wheeling out of control. His pupils narrowed to slits, his incisors lengthened and sharpened into fangs, and the blue of his irises muddied to a deep shade of crimson- darker even compared to Sasuke’s kekai-genkai. Red-orange chakra visibly swirled around his body and when he spoke, he intoned with two voices, one of them much more guttural and demonic. Already, three tails of bubbling chakra extended from him, lashing. 

“I know that look,” Sasuke taunted, “You always let that fox get the better of you. Pretty soon you’ll succumb to it completely. Well I’m not afraid of you or that beast!”

With that, Sasuke launched in again, katana drawn. Naruto yelled, swiped the blade away with one arm of his chakra cloaked body, clawing for Sasuke’s face. Sasuke leaned back to dodge and parried with his chidori blade which nicked Narutos side. He leapt backward some distance, clutching the wound, growling. The Nine-Tails chakra seeped forth, altering Naruto’s form more and more. Bits of flesh lifted free from his body to evaporate in the burning aura. In short order, Naruto grew unrecognizable: a humanoid incarnation of the fox. Blazing opaque chakra took place of skin, white glowing patches stood in for eyes. A pair of chakra ears swelled to complement the fourth tail now manifesting alongside the others. 

“Gross,” Sasuke remarked ruefully. He frowned a bit now, however, and studied his opponent. He could sense the power surging to alarming levels. Sasuke had to be on his toes now. Transformed Naruto was a wild card and he’d never seen him quite this far gone. 

Fox-Naruto, who had been consumed with the pain of transformation, tensing and screeching, at last reached an equilibrium. It turned its empty white eye patches and affixed them on Sasuke. It emitted a low pitch rumble, that like you might expect to hear from a big cat, only Naruto was now much larger than any lion or tiger. You could feel the sound rippling through space as much as hear it. 

With lightning speed, Fox-Naruto lunged. Sasuke tried to block with his sword and free arm but was immediately knocked to the ground by the creature’s immense strength, just able to hold off its gnashing jaws. He immediately substituted with a log on the shore before countering with fireball jutsu. When the flame cleared, Fox-Naruto was unharmed but enraged and lunging once more. Sasuke, now on shore, leapt high into the air, kicked off the face of the stone cliff and alighted on one of the higher structures of the bridge. Fox-Naruto scrambled up the cliff face in pursuit. The movements were frighteningly rapid and effortless for something its size. 

Sasuke’s modified pupils spun once. “AMATERASU!” he called out, focused intently on Naruto. Black flames raced up Fox-Naruto’s back and shoulders causing it to scream and plunge to the ground, heavily crashing into the sand. The creature writhed and squalled piercingly as it desperately clawed at the burning jutsu. Fox-Naruto spun about, rolling on the beach, exuding clouds of chakra from its form as a last-ditch attempt to lift the flames free with them, but all in vain. The infinite black flames of the jutsu cannot be put out as ordinary fire.

Sasuke stared icily from his perch. If he felt anything for his tormented former friend, his face did not betray it. While he watched, a shadow loomed from something overhead, approaching far too quick to be a cloud or…

…

Sasuke’s world was sudden utter blackness and pain. He felt his body being crushed and jabbed from all sides. He might have gasped had not all the air been knocked from his lungs. There was a deafening thunder in his ears so loud that it was not so much a sound as simply an awareness of immense destruction unfolding. He didn’t know what was happening. Perhaps he was dead. Perhaps he was in hell already.

These thoughts dashed through his mind for a few seconds before he gained a slight bearing on reality and decided there was something heavy on top of him and all around him that he needed to escape quickly. Engaging his Sharingan once more, he materialized a Susanoo shield in front of him and blasted through a pile of rock and rubble. Sunlight and color flooded his vision. He squinted at the brightness, an affirmation of life. Dust was settling. He choked and sputtered. Blood oozed from his mouth and nose and two black eyes were forming. Ahead, he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. It was the cliff across the river…only an enormous chunk of it was missing. It was as if someone had cleaved off a piece of the mountain and flown it across the river, only to have it dumped entirely on Sasuke’s head.

As the ringing in his ears started to subside, he registered Naruto’s continued struggle to his right. But for some reason, Sakura was there too. Her body glowed with the aquamarine aura of heightened chakra circulating about her. She was attempting to aid and/or gain control of Naruto’s fox form. Her arms outstretched, she forcefully channeled the flow of chakra directly towards the flames as Naruto spit and hissed and swiped. Like any wounded creature, it was desperate and dangerous. Sakura dodged from left to right but struggled to get the purchase she needed to directly counter the afflicting jutsu. “Damnit, Naruto, HOLD STILL!”

She stepped back and pressed her right hand to the ground, signing with her left. “Earth-style jutsu, melted glass!” Sand erupted up underneath Fox-Naruto, swirling around his limbs and encasing them. The beast version of Naruto struggled against the heaviness of it, standing on its hind legs, yowling. Sakura closed her fist and the sand collapsed and tightened, not unlike Gaara’s sand coffin attack, but the objective was to trap rather than crush. A streak of her visibly lit chakra flowed through her hand across the distance between them, infusing the sand, melting it, and hardening it such that Naruto soon was held in place by a thick, cloudy, glass stone.

Sakura rushed to the beast’s side. _I can’t hold him for long._ Placing her hand directly on its back and ignoring the acute pain that resulted, she poured her own healing power onto the fox chakra skin that covered Naruto. She had never attempted to fix anything like this, nor did she know if she could, but she had to act immediately, or the flames would devour Naruto. He was lucky as the fox chakra had been taking the brunt of the attack so far (even as it harmed his own flesh), but she was going to have to strip the affected areas, even down through Naruto’s skin in some places, in order to trap the flames and remove them.

With much force and as much precision as she could muster, she sliced her chakra down deep, penetrating the fox’s layer to create a barrier between Naruto’s body and the fire. Fox-Naruto continued to roar inhumanly but was beginning to weaken from the damage. With the flames now separated in her glowing green energy, she sloughed them to the dirt and there repeated the glass-encasing technique, this time on the flames themselves. Once trapped, the Amaterasu jutsu quickly incinerated what was left of its target material and, at last, dissipated.

Now there was yet the problem of Naruto himself. His creature form was straining and cracking its restraints. She had not wanted to show her hand this soon, but it was now or never. She wrapped her arms around the beast’s torso, wincing from the burn of the fox chakra. Fox-Naruto’s tails lashed her, stinging, beating, and bruising. “ChaaaAAAAAAA!” Sakura yelled and she summoned her strength, enveloping Fox-Naruto completely in her energy. Within the green chakra field cloaking them both, small vines began to appear, starting near her hands and their feet and soon wrapping themselves fully around Fox-Naruto’s body. Then, great tree like branches twisted up out of the ground forming several arches that encircled them as though in a ritual grove.

Fox-Naruto’s jaws gaped as it rumbled demonically. It finally broke one limb free of the entrapment, then others. It thrashed even more violently and attempted to reach behind to drag off Sakura, but she held fast with her uncanny physical strength, legs rooted to the spot using her superior chakra control, arms locked under the creature’s own in a vice grip. All the while the jutsu she was channeling in and around them shrunk and weakened Naruto’s fox form. Fox-Naruto’s movements slowed and it finally quieted. The tails began to dissipate, then so did the layer of nine-tails chakra altogether, revealing a very battered-looking and bloody Naruto, his head now hung, unconscious.

Sakura finally released the aura of glowing chakra and the small vines netting Naruto crumbled away. She kneeled to rest him gently on the ground. Sweat poured from her brow. She gasped heavily trying to regain her breath. Great patches of Naruto’s skin were badly burned and damaged. Sakura looked at her right hand and forearm which was similarly damaged from extended contact with Naruto’s fox chakra- she cradled it in her lap. Her cheek and other exposed skin were singed to a lesser degree from the embrace. She suddenly felt very _tired._

Wiping back her bangs with her good arm, she began to examine Naruto, already assessing what he needed medically, but first… she remembered. Sakura looked up to find Sasuke not yards away, regarding her silently.

“Impossible,” was all he said.


	7. FLASHBACK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This flashback is actually relevant. As a sidenote, writing Tsunade's character is really fun.

“Here are those reports you ordered, my Lady!”

“Thank you, Chisune. Let me see.” Tsunade eagerly accepted a file folder from her assistant. Flipping it open, she scanned the contents, eyes flicking back and forth across the page. She snatched a cup of tea from her desk and downed the remaining contents in one gulp before slamming it back down, causing Chisune to jump in surprise. Tsunade put her chin in her hand and uttered a thoughtful “Hmm!”

“Is it… what you were expecting?” Chisune ventured.

“I want to see the samples for myself,” Tsunade commanded. “Please bring them to my office along with the equipment.”

“Right away!”

_-Later that day-_

Sakura arrived at the Hokage’s office. She inhaled and knocked. It was strange to be called on in the middle of the day when she should be doing rounds.

“Come in!” Tsunade barked.

Sakura entered. “You asked for me, my lady?”

“Yes, please approach, Sakura.” Sakura closed the door and moved further into the room in front of the Hokage’s desk. It was then that she noticed on the desk, Tsunade had a microscope, some slides, and sundry items that looked like they were from the lab. _Huh,_ Sakura thought, _Tsunade sensei is working even harder than I thought if she’s personally checking up on the hospital’s lab work as well. She’s incredible!_

“Sakura,” Tsunade began, “You have been an excellent pupil and have progressed in leaps and bounds, especially the last few months.”

“Thank you!” Sakura hurriedly bowed.

“In fact, some of your work has been so exceptional, I became suspicious.”

“Huh?! Suspicious?” Sakura repeated, alarmed.

“Yes. In some of your healing tests and among your patients, it was observed that tissue recovery was well beyond what was expected under short time frames. So for several weeks, I’ve been having biopsies taken and analyzed.”

Sakura blinked.

“It appears that cells from the tissues that you performed medical ninjutsu on frequently heal at twice the expected rate for those techniques.”

“Oh,” Sakura said. “Well, that’s good, isn’t it? I mean, I guess it’s just lucky…”

“Incorrect!” Tsunade boomed, standing up, hands on the desk, startling Sakura. A wry smile played across her face. “No, there’s more to it than that. Most cell regeneration techniques stimulate the body’s own repair and division functions, feeding them additional chakra and accelerating the healing process. But there’s an upper limit to the speed at which any given organ cells, heart, liver, skin, what have you, can divide. What I think is happening is that not only are you accelerating the body’s own mechanisms, somehow without realizing it, you are creating brand new cells on your own alongside them.”

“I don’t think I understand.” Sakura frowned uncertainly.

“Here, I’ve devised a test.” Tsunade placed two clay pots on her desk and shoved them towards Sakura. Inside one was planted what appeared to be a patch of ordinary grass. The other simply contained soil and nothing else. Tsunade grabbed a pair of scissors off her desk. She carefully snipped off the top half of one of the blades of grass. “I want you to repair this piece of grass. Animal cells are much more complicated than plant cells, so this should be a piece of cake.”

“Sure!” Sakura smiled cooperatively, trying not to wonder if she’d overestimated her mentor’s mental state.

Sakura touched a fingertip to the butchered piece of grass. She closed her eyes and focused her healing jutsu. The light glow of her chakra passed between her hand and the plant, and almost in the blink of an eye, the blade sprouted a new tip. Tsunade was right, it had been quite easy. She supposed that made sense, for something so small. Sakura looked back up expectantly, a little proud. Tsunade was unfazed. “Now this one,” she said gravely, pointing to the pot of soil.

“But… there’s nothing there.”

“Precisely. When you engaged your healing ninjutsu, you felt out the plants structure, didn’t you? In order to help it repair itself. Recreate what you know of the grass’ make-up in your mind, then regrow it here. There should be everything you need: water, organic material. If my suspicions are correct, and you are not merely using ordinary healing techniques but in fact have a unique cell generation jutsu, you should be able to grow _that_ grass in _this_ pot.

Sakura gulped and touched her fingers to the soil. She closed her eyes again and recalled the grass’ structure to her mind. She parsed through her own jutsu, honing the feeling she had when she was sealing up wounds, when she was trying to create an abundance of cells. She pressed her two fingers deeper into the soil. She clenched her teeth. She felt resistance, and movement.

“Alright, alright!” Tsunade interrupted. “That’s enough.”

Sakura opened her eyes. As desired, a little blade of grass had sprouted up between her two fingers. Additionally, dozens more were overflowing the pot. Oops.

“Excellent!” Tsunade’s eyes gleamed like she was about to place a bet. “Let’s take a walk!”

Sakura followed her out to the grounds in front of the Hokage’s palace. Sakura had not quite accepted or processed what the Hokage was telling her and thought maybe there was still some mistake. Perhaps the pot was simply contaminated with already-present grass seeds and she had merely stimulated their growth. Tsunade pointed to a small cherry tree and said, “Now do that one.”

“Huh?!” Sakura looked incredulous. “There’s no way!”

“Eh? Are you doubting your master??”

“No, of course not, I just…”

“Anyway, it’s quite fitting, don’t you think? Being a cherry tree and all. Now hop to it! First, analyze the tree’s structure with your chakra, then regrow one just like it.”

Sakura stepped up to the tree and placed a hand on it. She sent her medical ninjutsu through it exploratively, tracing its form from roots to trunk, to leaves, to buds. She felt it’s capillary and photosynthetic activity. When she thought she had the idea of it in her mind, she walked backwards several paces. Keeping her eyes closed, she bent one knee and pressed her palm to the earth as if using a summoning jutsu. She focused, again sensing movement and resistance. She kept the energy flowing, in spite of the effort it was taking. She grit her teeth. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Sakura decided not to look up until she heard from Tsunade. More resistance. More movement. She thought she could hear creaking and the groan of soil. How long to keep this up? At last, Tsunade said “Okay, that’s pretty good.”

Sakura opened her eyes to see her creation. Another tree there stood right next to the old one, as if it had always been. Not a perfect replica, but the same size and shape, roughly. “And look! You even popped a blossom!” Unlike the original, Sakura’s tree indeed boasted a single flower on one bough.

Tsunade looked pleased but Sakura was more curious than anything. “So, I can grow things? Will that be useful?”

“Sakura!” Tsunade snapped, “You can create life! It’s quite remarkable. This is extremely similar to my grandfather’s Wood Release, although it’s hard to tell if it is exactly the same or not. It must have something to do with the fact that you also have the dual earth and water chakra natures. But the point is, I would like you to develop this power in his style.”

“Really? You think my power could be like Lord First’s?”

“I’m counting on it. In fact, I did some research on your family’s history just to be sure we’re not somehow related. However, there’s significant gaps in your mother’s family background that I couldn’t get answers for, so that question is still murky. Even if not, I suppose you could have developed something like this naturally on your own. In any case, I hope you realize the serious implications here. You could eventually be more powerful than me. Hell, you could even give Naruto and that rat bastard what’s his name a run for their money!”

“Sasuke?”

“Right. Anyway, that would sure show Jiraiya who’s got the better pupil, ha!”

“But hang on, you said earlier I can create both plant and animal cells- does that mean I can create more than just plants?”

Tsunade frowned again. “Like I said before, animals are more complex than plants. To create a whole living creature like an animal would be vastly difficult and tricky, not to mention there are loads of ethical issues to consider. Healing human or animal tissues is one thing, but when it comes to whole life forms, I think it’s imperative that you stick to plants. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in the very grim company of Orochimaru, playing god over beings that suffer. Speaking of him, if he ever found out about you, he may try to recruit you or abduct you for his experiments, just like Sasuke. For that reason, I think it’s best that only certain people know of this power. For now, myself, you, and one other. Which reminds me, Yamato, you can stop lurking now.”

A ninja wearing an Anbu black ops face mask emerged from some shrubbery several yards away. “Lurking? You asked me to wait for you to call for me.” Yamato tilted up his mask and greeted Sakura with his slightly unnerving, intense features. “Hello Sakura!”

“Captain Yamato!”

“This is great, as you both know each other, no introductions are needed. Sakura, you will begin daily training with Yamato in addition to your trainings with me. We will have to work hard and swiftly to bring this power of yours up to its full potential, much like Naruto did with his wind style training, only you don’t have the luxury of using multiple shadow clones to help you. I will arrange for some of your more mundane duties at the hospital to be shifted around among your peers and subordinates.”

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Tsunade sensei!”

“Pfft! Thanks are not necessary. Now go, don’t let me down!”

“Yes ma’am!”


	8. Chapter 8

_“Impossible.”_

“Which part?” Sakura sighed. “The part where I dropped a mountain on your face?” She started to chuckle a little but had to stop because of the sharp pain around her rib cage. Her muscles hurt, her arm hurt, everything was beginning to hurt now. She kept her eyes on his. _He looks like shit too,_ she noted with no small amount of satisfaction.

There were several things Sasuke found improbable if not impossible about what he had just witnessed. For one thing, that Sakura was alive at all. He had felt some resistance when he cut her with the kunai, but still expected her to bleed out or drown. Secondly, how _had_ she dislodged and moved such a large section of rock and boulder and buried him with it without him having had time to notice or react? Obviously, it was some earth-style jutsu, but such power should be far out of reach of the Sakura he knew... Otherwise, Sasuke’s preoccupation with Naruto’s noisy, wailing demise might have distracted him sufficiently such that he had gone deaf and blind to all else. 

Sakura’s attitude jarred him as well. He might have claimed she was a different nin’ altogether based on that and her appearance. Pink hair matted to her face with dirt and sweat. Her trademark red outfit and headband were scuffed and torn also. But there was no mistaking those sea green eyes or the familiar ring of her voice. Only, the last time he had seen Sakura, her lip quivered, and she had quietly muttered his name as if in a trance. But not only did she not behave meekly this time, she seemed to be rather openly seeking to antagonize and outright mock him. To say that it was out of character for her was more than an understatement.

None of this would have normally represented much more than a fleeting curiosity to Sasuke, seeing as he put less and less thought into his former teammates as the years wore on. What really stopped him in his tracks was the jutsu Sakura appeared to have just used. 

With a glance, he examined the tree branch arches encircling her and Naruto. “You’re a... wood-style user.” He said finally. “How?” Sasuke’s face crinkled like he had just smelled something off-putting. There was only one wood-style user living that he knew of, a Leaf shinobi by the name of Yamato. Orochimaru had experimented on him and implanted in him the cells of the late first Hokage, Hashirama, who was legendary, and the only shinobi known to have developed such a jutsu naturally. Orochimaru had told him of this, but he had mentioned no other such subjects. Certainly Sasuke would have known if Sakura was among them...wouldn’t he? 

“Who gave you this power?” 

“You’re such a talker today, Sasuke.” Sakura grunted a little as she stood up and straightened. “That’s so unlike you.” Sasuke narrowed his gaze. “But since you asked, no one gave me this power. I’m not the product of an experiment like Yamato. You may not have ever taken the time to notice but I have two chakra natures: earth and water. Wood style jutsu requires both. This is apparently my own natural ability. It’s unlike anyone previous however since I do not create boards and beams, only natural structures like trees and vines.” 

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment. “Whatever,” he finally said. “It is surprising but makes no difference. You’re in a weakened state and Naruto is unconscious. You’re no match, as usual, Sakura. I should finish you both off now and end this once and for all.”

“You’re in a weakened state too,” Sakura replied. “Your eyes look kind of cloudy… can you even see?” Sasuke’s lip curled into a snarl. “Looks like you’ve overused your Sharingan. You’re stalling for time as much as me having this conversation… I think we’re more evenly matched than you realize.” Sakura stood taller now, and let her arms hang at her sides once again. The delay had given her a chance to use some medical ninjutsu on herself and partly mend the worst of the injuries to those limbs.

“You’re deluding yourself if you think that,” Sasuke said. “But so be it, if you’re so powerful, see if you can stop me.”


	9. Chapter 9

Sasuke dropped his right arm down at his side. Flickering bolts sprung to life about his forearm like an electric glove, piercing the air with the sounds of birds shrieking. “Chidori Blade!” he commanded. The bolts snapped together in a laser-like beam which Sasuke swept in the direction of Naruto, still lying motionless on the ground.

“NO!” Sakura yelled and raised her hand. A tangle of trunks and bark erupted from the ground in front of her and Naruto. The blade struck the makeshift shield and immediately bored through the material. To compensate, Sakura kept speedily generating layer after layer of wood and bark, as fast as it could be destroyed. Sasuke grimaced and changed his stance, trying to get an edge on her. But it required a large amount of chakra to keep that justsu going so he soon let the attack drop. Sakura gasped and leaned forward as she was finally able to let the intense effort on her part lapse as well.

She almost didn’t notice a small sound behind her. “Sakura-chan?” Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Karin coming up the bank towards her.

“Karin?” Sakura did not know whether to be concerned or not.

“Sakura, let me help you! I can boost your chakra if you just…”

“There’s no time for that,” Sakura said, “but stay with Naruto, please. Hurry!”

Karin stepped inside the grove where Naruto was lying, and Sakura jumped out. She used her wood-style again to weave a cage of thick branches and vines between the arches, enclosing them. As the visibility between them grew more obscured, Sakura looked in Karin’s eyes and delivered a warning.

“If you do anything to harm Naruto, I _will_ leave you worse than I found you.” Karin gave a small nod just as she lost sight of Sakura’s dangerous glare.

Sakura turned back to Sasuke. God knows why he didn’t attack again in that moment unless he took the time to recover or conserve energy as well. “I won’t let you hurt him!” Sakura seethed. When she thought about what Sasuke just did, attacking Naruto while he was helpless, almost murdering him…a vast anger swelled up in her. She was so sick of this, of him.

Sasuke responded by drawing his actual katana and bounding toward her. Sakura rushed to meet him, with only a kunai raised in opposition. What ensued was a clash of steel and flurry of taijutsu. Sakura nimbly dodged the swings of Sasuke’s sword or blocked them with her albeit small weapon backed by her monster strength. Similarly, Sasuke fended off Sakura’s vicious assault of kicks and punches even as he tried to get in his own. Each took turns ceding ground and gaining it, leaping backwards away from and then plunging back into the other’s strike zone.

Their fight took them back out to the bridge, where Sasuke backed Sakura out at the middle again. Sakura took a large bound and flip back to land on the other side, where Naruto had stood facing Sasuke previously. They both paused to glare and catch their breath.

“What’s the matter, Sakura?” Sasuke teased, “Aren’t you in love with me anymore.”

“Heh,” Sakura smirked just a little to return the attitude. “I guess we’ve all changed. It’s true I kept that schoolgirl crush alive for so long… but it feels like I’m finally waking up. Maybe it took you trying to murder me in cold blood to really knock the sense in once and for all… or seeing what you almost just did to Naruto… No, Sasuke, I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore. How could I be? You and I are completely different people now, wouldn’t you say? …I suppose I don’t know who you are anymore. But I do know that you are one of the biggest threats to the people I care about.”

“So that’s it. You favor Naruto now then?”

In spite of herself, Sakura was taken aback a little, and she blushed slightly.

“I told you, I’ve grown up. Not everything is about romance with me anymore. If you couldn’t tell I’ve been training almost as hard as Naruto.”

Sasuke did not reply.

“But it’s true that Naruto and I have grown close in all this time we have been trying to get you back. All the hell that we’ve been through, especially Naruto. He puts his life on the line almost every day for you! Whether it’s training or missions or fighting enemies… that thing is inside him all the while, just waiting to come out and destroy him. Sometimes I can barely stand it, I’m so worried sick!”

Sakura was getting worked up now, raising her voice. She thought she felt her eyes start to well up, but she forced herself to not cry. She held her closed fist against her chest as she often did when speaking earnestly.

“I know that you and Naruto have this special bond. You’re like brothers, or best friends, or something. But know this Sasuke, you’re not the only one with a special bond to Naruto. He’s my best friend as well. He is also my teammate. I am the third member of Team Seven. And I have a duty to protect him. From himself. From the likes of you.”

“And there’s something else,” Sakura continued. “Whether or not you will acknowledge it, you and I have that same bond too.”

Sasuke’s teeth clenched in response. “Ridiculous.”

“Yes,” Sakura insisted. Her mind briefly flashed back to some of their moments together when they were younger. A smirk at her joke. His subtle protectiveness towards her around strangers. His encouraging Naruto to keep her safe when all their lives were on the line. The day he left, when he stood close to her and said, ‘Thank you.’

For a moment her heart tugged. But she knew now was not then.

“The difference is Naruto wants to bring you back no matter what, to reconvert you. I guess if it were possible, I’d like that too. But if it comes down to between you and a comrade,” Sakura pointed her finger at Sasuke, “I will do my duty as a Leaf Village shinobi… We have a bond, Sasuke! But the difference between Naruto and I is: _I’m willing to break it!_ ”

And with that she leapt back toward Sasuke’s side of the bridge, fist raised. Sasuke tensed to dodge but hesitated. The trajectory of her jump wasn’t going to put her anywhere near him. Where was she going? Was she about to just…miss?

Sakura’s feet touched the lip of the bridge, then she punched straight downwards. “HaaAA!” Her fist connected with concrete. For a split second, nothing happened. Then, fractures loudly cracked open all around them. The north half of the bridge crumbled apart, hurtling massive pieces of rock and steel downwards, along with both ninjas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upon reflection, after writing this whole thing, it occurred to me it might have made sense to move this conversation to a following chapter where it would make more sense that they have time to chat. But in my defense, anime characters stop fighting to chat nonsensically all the time, so let's chalk it up to that for now.


	10. Chapter 10

Both Sasuke and Sakura were able to leap among and strike off the falling debris, ultimately staying on their feet even until they touched down on the river’s surface. The now mostly destroyed bridge formed a partial dam which began to pool and slow the water’s flow, making the surface more stable for the ninjas to walk upon. Once descended, Sakura did not let up her attack. Making use of her surroundings, she signed for water jutsu and started projecting wave upon wave at Sasuke. Sasuke blew each one off with fireballs as he ran towards her full tilt. His expression and movement had completely changed. He was deadly serious now. He sprinted at lightning speed and Sakura just barely kept out of reach, pinging about the rising waters, all the while buffering with wave attacks behind. She had an idea, but she needed to slow him down first. 

She began by getting distance between them. Sakura retreated as fast as she could upriver, still attacking as cover, not that Sasuke had much trouble countering. When it felt just far enough, she turned back around and put a hand to the surface. Signing with the other, she sent up a wide curtain of water up between her and Sasuke: a bigger, grander wave that almost reached both shores. It was thin though so she knew he would probably go through it instead of over it. As it went up, she rushed forward, following its wake. As suspected, Sasuke blasted across the barrier, but Sakura was waiting below and positioned so that she was already throwing her punch which caught him this time square in the gut. Sasuke was thrown, tumbling, backwards several hundred yards as a result of taking the direct hit. He recovered himself soon enough though, finding his feet like a cat. Still, it was all the opening she needed. As he came to a halt on the now-pseudo-lake, she finished her signing and shouted, “Water Prison!” 

It was the same jutsu Kakashi sensei has used on Zabuza way back when on their first high-class mission. A sphere of swirling water enclosed Sasuke, seemingly capturing him where he stood. The idea had come to Sakura earlier in the fight; Slowly, she had started to backtrack and wonder about death necessarily being the only possible outcome of this encounter after all. She began to think if there was a chance for her to capture Sasuke without further bloodshed and wait for backup, perhaps she could solve everything. Maybe this didn’t have to end quite as badly as she’d originally planned... 

Sasuke glared through the blue and slightly bent light prism of his container. How had he let her push him this far already? He had been holding back, he decided. He had battled all day and despite his immense endurance and ferocity, even he had been worn down. More problematic was what Sakura had astutely (and irritatingly) pointed out: that his eyes were weakening. His vision was somewhat dulled and blurred now. He took his Sharingan to the absolute limits with Danzo and even still he used it again shortly afterwards with Naruto. He knew that if he pressed much further now, he could lose the ability to use the Sharingan as well as his vision completely. 

The Water Prison jutsu is not an easy hold to break, however. As long as Sakura maintained her focus, ordinary methods would not free him. His options were to try to wait her out, look for any gap in her concentration... or simply go for broke. Sasuke did not necessarily feel time was on his side now. 

Ignoring his reservations, Sasuke once again defaulted to his trump card. He activated his Sharingan. His pupils spun and metamorphosed. There was a dull sheen to his eyes and this process came with a shock of pain and a leak of blood. He hollered through the strain as the giant apparition of his Susanoo mushroomed forth, exploding him free of the water prison to tower above them. It had the appearance somewhat like an enormous lavender-colored samurai, fully fitted with armor and weaponry. Sasuke stood in its center, levitating off the ground amid the translucent haze of his conjuration, controlling its movements like a pilot in a cockpit. He fixed Sakura with a wild and glassy gaze and a crooked smile. He started to laugh uncontrollably.


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura’s eyes widened and her jaw tightened in a little bit of an “oh shit,” moment as she beheld the sight. This was not a power of Sasuke’s she had witnessed before, but something told her a 30-foot tall visible chakra manifestation was going to present something of a challenge. The Susanoo produced a bow and arrow, and drew three arrows back, aiming directly for Sakura. Despite the toll this fight was taking on her, Sakura still had reserves of chakra she had not yet tapped. The fight may end up taking everything she had, she realized.

To match the largesse of her opponent, Sakura produced a full-sized tree in front of her and rode it’s branches up to the heights of the Susanoo. The arrows released and exploded into the base of the immense hardwood. Snapping and crackling echoed about the canyon. The first gigantic tree began to fall but Sakura had already summoned up two more and was working on others. She sprang through and was carried upon the alive, twisting greenery, speedily approaching Sasuke. Like the first Hokage, she employed the wood summoning for movement as well as offense and defense. A giant spike like a branchless tree flew out of the ground towards the Susanoo’s midsection, piercing it somewhat, then another, and another, all aimed at Sasuke. Infuriated by the near misses, he broke off the spikes with the Susanoo’s shield and switched to its sword for close combat, slashing at Sakura’s expanding cluster of giant trees. She responded with growing structures repeatedly to block, replace, attack, and to wrap around and restrict the limbs of the giant warrior’s movement. Her wood release was her arms and legs, her sword and shield. So, they continued, clashing. A ghost samurai entangled and hacking away at a foe forest. Their casters tensed, sweated, dodged, signed- embroiled in the cacophony of battle. Sasuke opened his mouth and hollered again. He had to end it, _now_.

Forgetting all caution, he widened his eyes and, agonizingly, called “Amaterasu!” Black flames attacked the trees surrounding Sakura. She was able to protect herself and sacrifice branches instead, allowing those that were hit to detach and fall to the water to be carried away. “AMATERASU!” He kept the pressure on. Sakura again sent up a wall of wood to intercept, then isolated and ejected the flames before they could spread. “AMATERASU!!” Sasuke screamed, resorting to a continuous, all-out assault. But on the last command, he faltered. He clutched his face with his hands. His vision faded to absolute nothing. “Aghhh!” He fell to his knees within the Susanoo, which then quickly dismantled around him. Now he was the one falling straight down into the river.

“Sasuke!” Sakura yelped. He smacked into the shallows near shore. At first, he lay motionless face down. Sakura hurried earthward to reach him. As she approached the shallows, she forgot to keep up on the surface and instead plunged through the water, one sloshing run-step at a time. Before she reached him, Sasuke raised up on his hands and knees. He spit out the water. _No. I can’t lose, not like this. Not to her._

He heard a whooshing sound in his left ear. Sakura halted. A portal opened not feet away from Sasuke on the beach. Out from it stepped a man in an orange mask that was swirled like a shell. Another Sharingan studied them from a single eyehole. He wore the black cloak with red clouds of the Akatsuki. He tittered like a schoolgirl.

“Well, Sasuke! Quite a mess you’ve gotten yourself into today I see!” He giggled again. “That’s enough, wouldn’t you say? Time to go now!”


	12. Chapter 12

“Wait!” Sakura struggled to reach Sasuke in time. But the strange ninja put his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder and the space around him shimmered, engulfing him and Sasuke both in another portal. It rippled closed as Sakura reached shore, leaving no trace of either of them.

She pounded a fist into the ground, sending up a small tsunami of sand. “Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!” After all that, she had still lost him. She failed. She failed Konoha. She failed Naruto.

 _Naruto_.

She needed to check on him. She got up and forced herself to run, ignoring the stinging protest of her muscles. She ran back along the beach to the shelter she had created. Nervously, she called out his name.

“We’re here!” Karin answered, “He’s awake.” Sakura reversed her wood release somewhat to allow the vines and timbers to easily crumble away while she also manually pulled the structure apart. Knocking away the last of it, she uncovered Naruto still lying on the ground, still badly burned. Karin was kneeling nearby. His eyes were open though, and as the sunlight hit him, he raised an arm to cover them. “Sakura-chan!” he squinted up at her and smiled.

“Naruto…” Sakura’s self-control finally was giving way and she started to cry. “Naruto, I’m sorry!” She knelt beside him.

“What are you sorry for??” he exclaimed. “Sakura, you were amazing! I could see through the little gaps in this thing, those times I was awake, and I saw some of the fight. You totally kicked Sasuke’s butt!” He closed his eyes and grinned. “Also, dang, why didn’t you tell me you can use wood style! That’s incredible! I bet you could teach Yamato sensei a thing or two now hehe.”

“Are you okay?” Sakura asked.

“I let him bite me!” Karin proudly interjected.

“What…?”

“It’s a power I have, it helps people restore their chakra.”

“Oh. Um. Thank you.”

Karin nodded and bowed a little. “It’s the least I could do after what you did for me.”

Sakura sniffled and turned back to Naruto. For all the pain he must have been in, his eyes looked untroubled and energetic. For some reason, this deepened her guilt. More tears started welling up.

“He got away,” Sakura confessed bitterly. “You were hurt, and he still got away. I didn’t stop him.” On an impulse, she leaned down and rested her and head and one arm over his chest in a partial embrace. “I’m so sorry, Naruto-kun.”

“Hey, stop apologizing already.” Naruto reached for her hand and held it. “You did better than me! We’ll get him, don’t worry! I know it.” He adopted a more serious expression. “Hey. I was in and out of it, but I heard what you said on the bridge. I agree. You’re one of us… You and me, we have a bond, same as me and Sasuke. He can try to deny the one he has with you too, but I know it’s just as strong… We’re in this together. We’ll make Team Seven complete again. Don’t forget it!”

Sakura sat back up and wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Naruto. You’re right, I’m being foolish. Of course we’ll get him!” She managed a small smile and nod back at him. A part of her was a little relieved she had not succeeded in her original intent after all. She was less confident now she could have faced Naruto if that had happened. Then, she suddenly opened her eyes wide. “Oh my gosh, I’ve been so focused on worrying I forgot to start healing you again! Here, let me…”

She put an arm under Naruto’s head and pulled his upper body into her lap. She placed her free hand on his torso and generated her glowing jutsu again, tackling surface burns and feeling for any internal damage. Luckily, his body was also remarkably good at healing itself, so he seemed to be doing better than she initially feared.

“Are you sure you’re okay to do that?” Naruto asked her, his voice was in and out somewhat hoarse. “You must be low on chakra right now.”

“Don’t worry about me! I’m not all that bad off, promise.”

A few moments passed in silence as Sakura focused on her work. It would have seemed a strangely intimate moment with him cradled like that and her hand on his bare skin where his shirt was torn away. However, they had worked closely together for so long and there had been so many times like this when she had patched him up, Sakura didn’t feel strange about it at all.

“Heh, maybe I should get all burnt up like this more often,” Naruto joked.

“Baka! Don’t you dare.” Sakura attempted her usual growl, but the words still came out kind of gentle.

Then, unexpectedly, Naruto put a hand to her cheek. She met his gaze. Sometimes, he looked so pure she felt her heart couldn’t take it. No wonder he had a habit of turning enemies into friends. All they really had to do was take one long look into his eyes and, in all likelihood, they simply fell in love with him.

“Sakura-chan. Thank you. For saving me.”

Even Naruto wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. Usually, a move half this bold would earn him a direct punch to the head followed by verbal admonishment. He guessed he was banking on his injured state discouraging Sakura from harming him further. She raised her hand to his, presumably to pull it away, but instead she just held it there, and leaned into the touch, not saying a word. It was Naruto’s turn to be surprised. Watching each other, they both blushed rather conspicuously.

Karin’s discomfort had been growing by the moment. She had maintained a polite smile for several minutes even as she felt almost entirely invisible now. There wasn’t really a plan for what to do next so she wasn’t sure if she should stick around to see if the Leaf might pardon her or if she should just… wander away on her own? She doubted very much there was a place for her now with Taka or that she even wanted there to be. She pursed her lips to whistle and act nonchalant, but remembered she couldn’t whistle, so instead she just ended up blowing out some air ineffectually.

Presently, a figure like a giant bird appeared over the horizon and sped along the treetops toward them. It hardly made a sound so Karin at first wondered if she was imagining it. It circled once nearby, then landed. Two figures were astride, one dismounted and approached at a walk. It was Kakashi, the copy ninja of the Leaf.

Only then did Sakura turn and the two of them let their hands fall as they realized they were no longer (as) alone. “Hello there,” Kakashi greeted them mildly. His right eye, the only uncovered part of his face, expressed a mixture of concern, surprise, and intrigue. He gestured out at the messy, confusing devastation that was now their natural surroundings. “Does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on?”

The End


End file.
